2025 Watch List: Small Town Sleepers, Part I
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DAKOTAS– If you have been a subscriber to Prep Redzone Dakotas, you will know by now that we absolutely love covering small-town prospects across South Dakota and North Dakota. The Dakotas are such a hotbed for college prospects coming out of…
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Continue ReadingDAKOTAS– If you have been a subscriber to Prep Redzone Dakotas, you will know by now that we absolutely love covering small-town prospects across South Dakota and North Dakota. The Dakotas are such a hotbed for college prospects coming out of small towns and you feel that atmosphere from the fans coming out on Friday nights.
We climb into our 2025 Watch List, and look at what Small Town Sleepers we find intriguing in this 2025 class. Small towns can be considered any town under a population of 5000 people and most of the prospects on this list today are way under that which makes the future of small town Dakotas football even more fun to analyze. Take a look at Part I of which small town prospects we are intrigued by at Prep Redzone. We even threw TWO prospects that already, so the athletic skillsets to play on Saturdays in the next several years!
Hunter Bindas Hunter Bindas 5'11" | 185 lbs | ATH Kindred | 2025 State ND | RB | Kindred (ND)
Kindred: Population: 889
You won’t find much tape on Hunter, but what I can see is the potential that is there to be a sound power back for the 2021 11A state champions in the near future. This young man shows off a durable lower body that has that rumbling rushing ability inside that is a blast to watch early in his career with the Kindred Vikings. He didn’t just break tackles from the clips I have seen, he ran like a bulldozer that just keep shedding off contact from the early stages of his runs thru the end of the clip where he found the end zone. I have a great feeling about this young man in the coming years.
Connor Harrison Connor Harrison 6'3" | 265 lbs | OL Lead-Deadwood | 2025 State SD | OL | Deadwood-Lead (SD)
Deadwood: Population: 1584, Lead: Population: 2982
Connor was one of my earliest finds in this 2025 Watchlist from the Deadwood-Lead Golddiggers. What stood out early? Connor shows a solid pad level and a high level of physicality in his already sizeable 6’4 220 pound frame as just as an incoming sophomore. He also has that finishing move pile onto the defender for assurance that he will won’t be going any further on the progression of that given play. Yes, the tape is limited but if this kid can produce more tape like this into his sophomore season, he will show a lot of upside for his upcoming football future with already solid measurables to crush some defenses in 9 man football.
Gus Strommen Gus Strommen 6'0" | 210 lbs | DL Beulah | 2025 State ND | DL | Beulah (ND)
Beulah: Population: 3058
I have watched a handful of defensive linemen from Beulah over the years, and I believe we have found another solid piece to the Beulah Miners front defensively. Gus shows a high level of explosion with his get off as he shows great speed off the snap. He shows a kid that is already a punisher in the backfield as he unleashed his anger on a QB with a high amounts of physicality to match. I have a great feeling about Gus’s game as we look at his future in Miners country, as I can’t wait to see what film he can put together as a sophomore.
Joshua Juve Joshua Juve 5'10" | 180 lbs | RB Thompson | 2025 State ND | RB/LB | Thompson (ND)
Thompson: Population: 1143
Joshua averaged nearly 12 yards per carry for the Thompson Tommies as just a freshmen with limited reps but solid production in the reps he did get. Off the first look of his tape, this 5’8 175 pound running back is one that can be described as sneaky when he’s running inside as you can lose him in there and then pick him up when he breaks out off the high traffic levels to the outside of the field with solid speed through the duration of his finished runs. He shows a developed burst when the ball reaches his hands and I don’t think he’s even close to hitting his ceiling by the time his high school career is over, as there’s a lot of upside coming with his development. Joshua shows he can turn in another gear of speed when he’s getting yards after contact. Joshua also adds a quick trigger when changing directions at outside linebacker as he shows a good twist in his hips for his age to get to the ball carrier on first contact. A solid performer on all three levels of the field with some physicality in his tackles. I will have a solid tracker on this kid over the coming years for sure.
Joe Kramlich Joe Kramlich 6'0" | 170 lbs | DB Kulm | 2025 State ND | WR | Ellendale-Edgeley-Kulm (ND)
Ellendale: Population: 1125, Edgeley: Population: 585, Kulm: Population, 354
To my knowledge, Joe is one of the earliest prospects we have ever tracked from the Ellendale-Edgeley-Kulm Thunder since we launched the site in 2020. Already 6’1, Joe shows a quick get off the snap to set the tone for his route-running looking ahead. He shows off a feisty ability to get separation from the corner by using his good hands as leverage to seal him off. Joe is a viable WR that has great hands on deep routes and can be a quick-hitter that will travel over the middle of the field to make his key grabs for the Thunder offense. I like Joe’s awareness on his routes, as he shows off a WR prospect with good instincts for his age. I look forward to see how this young man develops into his sophomore season and beyond.
Rylee Veal Rylee Veal 6'1" | 195 lbs | RB Harding County-Bison | 2025 State SD | QB | Harding County-Bison (SD)
Harding County: Population: 1311 in the entire county. Bison: Population: 302
Similar to Joe Kramlich Joe Kramlich 6'0" | 170 lbs | DB Kulm | 2025 State ND above, Rylee is another early tracker in the Northwest corner of South Dakota at Harding County-Bison. Rylee already has elite size at 6’1 195 pounds. He doesn’t just have the size either, as Rylee is an athletic prospect at QB that has some great footwork to get in between the tackles with his rushing out of a quarterback draw. I was VERY impressed with this young man’s touch ball on deeper routes as he can thread the needle with his precise ball placement. Also has sound arm strength on intermediate routes with that same precision being shown. He is also an instinctive middle linebacker with great ball tracking ability in pass coverage. No issue with the physicality from this young man as he shows it off under the first contact level. Rylee is probably my favorite 2025 prospect on this list and might be one of the best I have ever seen since 2020 come out of Harding County-Bison. I believe this young man will have the tools to play at the next level, which is not something I will say when evaluating a 2025 class. I CERTAINLY will be tuning into watching Rylee with the Ranchers in the 2022 season.
Karter Peterson Karter Peterson 6'5" | 205 lbs | TE Thompson | 2025 State ND | TE/DL | Thompson (ND)
Thompson: Population: 1143
One of FOUR Thompson Tommies on my 2025 Watch List, Karter is a 6’4 205 pound tight end and defensive tackle that showed off some intriguing film for just a freshmen this season. I love a receiving prospect that shows the willingness to throw his hand up when he knows he has an opening on his route to be a pass-catcher. Not just that, but you will need to heavily watch this kid’s hands as he shows great athletic ability in bringing in a tough one handed catch on this same play. He also exceeds with his pad-level at a tight end that is not afraid to be physical throwing a defender to the turf. This kid plays on all three levels for the Tommies, and you do not see him let up one bit with that itch of substantial hype in his punching ability. Karter also shows off a big-time running motor on the defensive line, as he creates plenty of problems coming off the edge and using that motor and athleticism in the backfield. I will say it again, I like this young man’s potential to play on Saturdays in the future.